Skip to Main Content

In this section

Joanne Y. Kwak-Kim, MD, MPH, FCRI, ASRI

Joanne Y. Kwak-Kim, MD, MPH, FCRI, ASRI
Professor; Reproductive Immunology Specialist; Director of Reproductive Medicine and Immunology
joanne.kwakkim@rosalindfranklin.edu
Clinical Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Microbiology and Immunology
Chicago Medical School
847-247-6900

Dr. Joanne Kwak-Kim is the Agnes D. Lattimer MD Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Sciences, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and the Director of Reproductive Medicine and Immunology at Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinic. Dr. Kwak-Kim received her MD in 1984 from Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. She completed an internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Then, she completed a fellowship in Reproductive Immunology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the Chicago Medical School in 1992.

Dr. Kwak-Kim is a world-renowned clinician and scientist. Dr. Kwak-Kim’s keen interest lies in Reproductive Immunology, particularly recurrent pregnancy losses and repeated implantation failures, which have been the focus of her research. Her work in natural killer cells and Th1/Th2 immune responses in women with recurrent pregnancy losses and implantation failures is distinguished. The research work that she has done, which applies basic science techniques to clinical problems, is cutting-edge. She has over 178 publications in peer-reviewed articles and books. Recently, she published a textbook, “Immunology of recurrent pregnancy loss and implantation failure.” Dr. Kwak-Kim is a former president of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology. She is the President-Elect of the International Society for Immunology of Reproduction and the chairman of the Fellow, Clinical Reproductive Immunology Board, American Society for Reproductive Immunology. She also leads: 

Publications

  1. Endometrial gene expression: An emerging paradigm for reproductive disorders. Springer 2020
  2. Immunology of recurrent pregnancy loss and implantation failure. Reproductive Immunology Textbook Series. Volume 3. Elsevier, Academic Press 2022.

Selected articles and book chapters (Since 2020)

  1. Wang WJ, Salazar Garcia MD, Yang XH, He QH, Jubiz G, Dambaeva S, Gilman-Sachs, A, Beaman, K, Kwak-Kim J. PD-1 and PD-L1 expression on T cell subsets in women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy losses. Am J Reprod Immunol 2020 May;83(5):e13230. doi: 10.1111/aji.13230. Epub 2020 Mar 23. PMID: 32086851.
  2. Liu H, Wang LL, Zhao SJ, Kwak-Kim J, Mor G, Liao AH. Why are pregnant women susceptible to COVID-19? An immunological viewpoint. J Reprod Immunol. 2020 Mar 19;139:103122. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2020.103122. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
  3. Bilal MY, Dambaeva S, Brownstein D, Kwak-KimJ, Gilman-Sachs A, Beaman KD. Iodide transporters in the endometrium: A potential diagnostic marker for women with recurrent pregnancy failures. Med Princ Pract. 2020 Apr 30. doi: 10.1159/000508309. [Epub ahead of print]
  4. Ota K, Takahashi T, Han A, Damvaeba S, Mizunuma H, Kwak-Kim J. Effects of MTHFR C677T polymorphism on vitamin D, homocysteine and natural killer cell cytotoxicity in women with recurrent pregnancy losses. Hum Reprod. 2020 Jun 1;35(6):1276-1287. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deaa095. PMID: 32478379.
  5. Kwak-Kim J, Ota K, Sung N, Huang C, Alsubki L, Lee S, Han JW, Han A, Yang X, Saab W, Derbala Y, Wang WJ, He Q, Liao A, Takahashi T, Cavalcante MB, Barini R, Bao S, Fukui A, Lédée N, Coulam C. COVID-19 and immunomodulation treatment for women with reproductive failures. J Reprod Immunol. 2020 Sep;141:103168. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2020.103168. Epub 2020 Jun 12. PMID: 32603991; PMCID: PMC7291967.
  6. Wang W, Sung N, Gilman-Sachs A, Kwak-Kim J. T Helper (Th) Cell Profiles in Pregnancy and Recurrent Pregnancy Losses: Th1/Th2/Th9/Th17/Th22/Tfh Cells. Front Immunol. 2020 Aug 18;11:2025. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02025. PMID: 32973809; PMCID: PMC7461801.
  7. Bilal MY, Katara G, Dambaeva S, Kwak-Kim J, Gilman-Sachs A, Beaman KD. Clinical molecular genetics evaluation in women with reproductive failures. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2020 Jul 25:e13313. doi: 10.1111/aji.13313. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32710571.
  8. Yang X, Yang E, Wang WJ, He Q, Jubiz G, Katukurundage D, Dambaeva S, Beaman K, Kwak-Kim J. Decreased HLA-C1 alleles in couples of KIR2DL2 positive women with recurrent pregnancy loss. J Reprod Immunol. 2020 Aug 13;142:103186. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2020.103186. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32846355.
  9. He, Q, Zhang, Y, Qiu, W, Fan, J, Zhang, C, Kwak‐Kim, J. Does thyroid autoimmunity affect the reproductive outcome in women with thyroid autoimmunity undergoing assisted reproductive technology?Am J Reprod Immunol. 2020; 84:e13321. 15 August 2020, https://doi.org/10.1111/aji.13321
  10. Cavalcante MB, Cavalcante CTMB, Sarno M, Barini R, Kwak-Kim J. Maternal immune responses and obstetrical outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 and possible health risks of offspring. J Reprod Immunol. 2020 Nov 19;143:103250. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2020.103250. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33249335; PMCID: PMC7676367.
  11. Dambaeva S, Bilal M, Schneiderman S, Germain A, Fernandez E, Kwak-Kim J, Beaman K, Coulam C. Decidualization score identifies an endometrial dysregulation in samples from women with recurrent pregnancy losses and unexplained infertility, F&S Reports https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xfre.2020.12.004
  12. Saab W, Seshadri S, Huang C, Alsubki L, Sung N, Kwak-Kim J. A systemic review of intravenous immunoglobulin G treatment in women with recurrent implantation failures and recurrent pregnancy losses. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2021 Jan 29:e13395. doi: 10.1111/aji.13395. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33511656.
  13. Sung N, Khan SA, Yiu ME, Jubiz G, Salazar MD, Skariah A, Dambaeva S, Kwak-Kim J. Reproductive outcomes of women with recurrent pregnancy losses and repeated implantation failures are significantly improved with immunomodulatory treatment. J Reprod Immunol 2021;148:103369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jri.2021.103369
  14. Mittra A, Naqash AR, Murray JH, Finnigan S, Kwak-Kim J, Ivy SP, Chen AP, Sharon E. Outcomes of Pregnancy During Immunotherapy Treatment for Cancer: Analysis of Clinical Trials Sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. Oncologist. 2021 Oct;26(10):e1883-e1886. doi: 10.1002/onco.13941. Epub 2021 Sep 20. PMID: 34397143; PMCID: PMC8488763.
  15. Salazar MD, Wang WJ, Skariah A, He Q, Field K, Nixon M, Reed R, Dambaeva S, Beaman K, Gilman-Sachs A, Kwak-Kim J. Post-hoc evaluation of peripheral blood natural killer cell cytotoxicity in predicting the risk of recurrent pregnancy losses and repeated implantation failures. J Reprod Immunol. 2022 Jan 19;150:103487. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2022.103487. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35078138.
  16. Kwak-Kim J, AlSubki L, Luu T, Ganieva U, Thees A, Dambaeva S, Gilman-Sachs A. The role of immunologic tests for subfertility in the clinical environment. Fertil Steril. 2022 Jun;117(6):1132-1143. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.04.009. Epub 2022 May 6. PMID: 35534290.
  17. Thanh Luu, Katherine Wolf, Amy Thees, Lujain AlSubki, Joanne Kwak-Kim. The role of natural killer cells in recurrent pregnancy losses and implantation failures. Submitted to Exploration of Immunology, Special Issue, Human Reproduction: Involvement of the Immune System. Explor Immunol. 2022;2:693-722.
  18. Yang X, Tian Y, Zheng L, Luu T, Kwak-Kim J. The Update Immune-Regulatory Role of Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines in Recurrent Pregnancy Losses. Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(1):132. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010132
  19. Nakagawa K, Kwak-Kim J, Kuroda K, Horikawa T, Takamizawa S, Hisano M, Kasahara Y, Sugiyama R, Yamaguchi K. Tacrolimus improved reproductive outcomes of women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) showing elevated T helper 1 (Th1)/Th2 cell ratios. Research Square;2022 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1980646/v1.
  20. Chen Z, Huang J, Kwak-Kim J, Wang W. Immune checkpoint inhibitors and reproductive failures, J Reprod Immunol, 2023:156;103799 ISSN 0165-0378, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jri.2023.103799.

Selected Awards and Accomplishments

Awards

  1. Christian Herr Award 22nd Annual Meeting, American Society for Reproductive Immunology, for outstanding achievements in basic or applied research in reproductive immunology, June 9, 2002
  2. Distinguished Service Award American Society for Reproductive Immunology, June 9, 2009
  3. Lawrence R. Medoff Award Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science: For outstanding contribution to Research, Teaching and Clinical Care, April 29, 2011
  4. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology Award 35th Annual Meeting, American Society for Reproductive Immunology, presented to a senior investigator who has made outstanding contributions to the area of reproductive immunology, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2015
  5. The 23rd Raymond O. Berry Memorial lecture speaker Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, Nov. 17, 2017
  6. Dr. Agnes D. Lattimer Professorship Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, June 21, 2018
  7. Yonsei Medical Grand Award Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, May 7, 2020
  8. ASRM 2021 Star Award American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2021
  9. ASRM 2022 Star Award American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2022

Accomplishments

  • Chair, 21st Annual Meeting, American Society for Reproductive Immunology, Finch University of Health Science, No. Chicago, IL, 1999-2001
  • Chair, 22nd Annual Meeting, American Society for Reproductive Immunology, Finch University of Health Science, No. Chicago, IL, 2001-2002.
  • Chair, First Annual Women’s Health Care Symposium, Oct 2003.
  • President, American Society for Reproductive Immunology, 2006-2008.
  • Chair, Reproductive Immunology Special Interest Group, ASRM 2011-2012.
  • Meeting Chair, The First Clinical Reproductive Immunology Symposium, American Society for Reproductive Immunology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 2011-2012.
  • Secretary-General, International Society for Immunology of Reproduction, 2013-2016.
  • Chair, RISIG (Reproductive Immunology Special Interest Group), ASRM, 2015-2016.
  • Congress Chair, ASRI 37th Annual Meeting, Chicago, “Bridging immunity with infection, inflammation and implantation for better reproductive health,” American Society for Reproductive Immunology, Chicago, IL, Sept. 2016-2017.
  • Treasurer, International Society for Immunology of Reproduction, 2016-2019.
  • President-Elect, ISIR 2019-Present.